Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Poor Andrea is having camera/computer problems at the moment so I said I would post some photos of my ornament to her "Frosticle Snowflake". Amazingly I remembered to take a few photos before I packaged her up! :photo: (most unlike me).
I hope your technical problems are soon resolved Andrea
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

edited to say: whoops that photo was a bit big... sorry... actually the bear is very small only about 2.5 inches or slightly under!

Hi Andrea,
I am so glad you like Frosticle Snowflake and that she arrived safely . I have been having terrible trouble trying to get onto the internet for the last two days, I have resorted to nabbing my daughters lap top to try and catch up with everything!
All the ornaments are just beautiful. The TT Tree is going to be wonderful (and very full up!) when it is finished.

Tiny Hugs
Gail

oo err,
I didn't realize there was another way to knit than the way I do it (english way according to the video clips on the link that Bronwen gave, but then I am English ) I was taught at about age 8 by my Mother,My grandmother had bought me a ball of wool a pair of needles and a simple pattern for a pair of mittens.My mother knits the same way as me (obviously) but she can go faster than me as she kind of loops the wool over her index finger, I have never been able to do it like that and always have to let go of the needle in my right hand to loop the wool over, However I have got quite fast even doing it this way. I did used to do lots of knitting making lacy pattern jumpers and all sorts, I remember the first jumper I made, I chose the most complicated one I could, Lots of elderberry shapes knitted all over, and I had to say the pattern to myself as I knitted, all my sister Ruth heard ,while i was knitting was ,"now make bobble" every 2 minutes or so she got really fed up of me knitting that jumper and was really pleased when I had finished it ( do you remember that Ruth?)
the Continental way looks much faster, but I don't think I could unlearn what I do now.
My Dad offered to buy me a knitting machine....he didn't understand that the actual hand knitting was the enjoyable part, probably even more so than the finished item.

Good luck with your knitting Chrissi, I am sure you will soon be increasing, decreasing and"making bobbles"!!!

Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Patty,
is that photos of your ornament or your new grandchild she has to email to you immediately?    lolol

tiny hugs
Gail

Good morning everybody
look what the postman just brought me!!! a lovely ornament made for me by Linda Hearn, sent all the way from Canada. I haven't put my decorations up yet (need to do a big tidy up first :redface: ) but I have hung this one up. I am so happy to have received such a lovely gift and Linda was thoughtfull enough to include chocolate too . I was in such a rush to get mine sent out, I forgot all about little extras, so must say sorry to the recipient of the decoration I made, which is now on its way to.......um a long way from here anyway!

Thank you once again Linda :hug:  :hug:

Tiny Hugs
Gail

Mine is ready!, but I did have to just save it from our naughty Chihuahua, Kimmi,  who thought it was far to pretty and sparkly to be sent away in the post. She was surprisingly gentle with it and did no damage whatsoever (thank goodness), I think she must be part Magpie!LOLOL

Tiny Hugs,
Gail

ps, I am going to make myself one the same as I am so pleased with it

I went shopping for pretty pretty sparkley things today, and have already started working on my ornament. Whoever gets mine may have to excuse all the sparkle, I find it very easy to get carried away and find it difficult to know when to stop!  
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Yep I got it too, what made me laugh,and I am still wondering what they meant, was the thing about a "tinker kit"
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Aww Wendy, he's really sweet and so different! but then you do do different very well
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

well done Lisa :clap:  :clap:
She is kind of cute......for a zombie 
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

What a cute little mouse Shirley, I love his fat little tummy   :clap:
tiny hugs,
Gail

That was amazing Bobbie, I hadn't seen it before, Thank you
Tiny Hugs,
Gail
PS I knew you'd like that Ruth

oh whoops, we were posting at the same time. My method of course will only work if your foot pad is symetrical. Duh! I hadn't thought you might want one more complicated, when of course Paula's method will work for you. My bears are so small that asymetrical foot pads probably wouldn't work too easily.
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

the way you could do this, (not sure of the size you are going to make, if you make minis this way could be a bit fiddley) is to cut a length of thread the same size as the base of the foot on your leg piece and then use this to make the shape of  half the foot pad shape you want, then draw this out.Next, fold the paper in half( fold going between the start and end of your half a foot) and cut out you should have a foot pad the type of shape you want with the correct measurements. When the leg pieces are sewn together and you are ready to sew in the foot pad, put a few stitches to anchor the foot pad at the centre front and centre back, matching the seams, that way it wont shift and you should end up with the right shape foot. Hope that makes sense, it is much easier to visualise than to describe it in words.
Tiny hugs,
Gail

I am not really a cat sort of person (I prefer dogs) but that little cartoon really made me smile, thanks for posting the link
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Here is Cedrick 
As I said he is 4.25" tall, which is a bit bigger than my usual size bear. He is made from upholstery velvet with ultrasuede paws. The head shape said to me"traditional bear" so I first worked out the size of the body and then thought that the arms should be fairly long and thin. Then I drew the legs but had to make them a bit shorter than I originally drew them as he looked a bit strange and top heavy. Then on to the head gussett, which I felt should be fairly wide and evenly curved to go with the shape of the side head. I then did the inner arms and all the paw pads. Most of the heads I have designed before have a much higher forhead, but I think I like the shape given by the shallower shape so I will have to experiment.
It wasn't really that difficult to resize and shrink the pattern so much, it's more a question of keeping the proportions right rather than the size.I don't know about anybody else, but when I am designing a pattern I sort of draw the bear in profile then draw the pattern pieces in place then trace each bit off individually, I suppose maybe that doesn't work so easily with larger bears, but its easy enough with my usual size of 2 to 3 inches LOL . How do you do it?
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Thank you everybody for your comments and congratulations, I didn't realise quite how many pieces went to make him up until I was putting all the pattern bits away in the ubiquitous tiny zip lock bag lol . I can't wait to see him in print  :dance:
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Hi Everybody,
I am so excited! I arrived home to find a letter and certificate to say that my little bear "A Pirate's Life For Me" has been chosen by Kathy Martin as her winner of the editors choice award for the miniature bear section.He is only about 3.5 inches tall but is made up from 39 separate pattern pieces for his body and incorporated costume. Unfortunately he didn't make the short list for the Readers Choice awards and I thought "oh well I will try again next year" but now I am doing the happy dance!!! Here is a photo of him which I think will be in Decembers magazine with the other winners.
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Here are my answers

What was the last magazine you bought? 
Teddy Bear Scene( I pay by quarterly subscription)

What did you have for dinner last night?
Fish and chips from the shop up the road (how sterotypical is that for a Friday??)

Who did you last speak with on the phone?
Our Gas supply company this morning

What was the last tv show you watched?
QI (a quiz program with lots of silly but interesting information in it Q. I stands for "quite interesting"

Whats the best thing that has happened to you today?
I am going to get a large refund from the Gas company :dance:  (see above) apparantly we have been overpaying for ages, and they have only just noticed as they actually read the meter instead of estimating the reading!

Have you ever broken a bone?
No, which is surprising as I seem to be able to trip over a blade of grass!

What are you really bad at?
bothering to do housework and actually being able to notice how untidy my house is  :redface:   

Your favourite food?
Toad in the hole (or toad in the crater when I make it, and it has to be with Newmarket sausages too)

Do you believe in ghosts?
not sure, maybe

Your favourite season?
Spring

Do you collect anything?
I used to collect cream jugs when I was younger, now I just seem to collect clutter!

What do you wish you had more time for?
being organised

When is your bedtime on average?
approximately midnight or maybe 11.30 p.m if I am particularly tired

Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Thanks everybody for you comments on Cedrick, I am glad you like him.
It wasn't really that difficult to resize and shrink the pattern so much, it's more a question of keeping the proportions right rather than the size.I don't know about anybody else, but when I am designing a pattern I sort of draw the bear in profile then draw the pattern pieces in place then trace each bit off individually, I suppose maybe that doesn't work so easily with larger bears, but its easy enough with my usual size of 2 to 3 inches LOL . How do you do it?
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Here is Cedrick 
As I said he is 4.25" tall, which is a bit bigger than my usual size bear. He is made from upholstery velvet with ultrasuede paws. The head shape said to me"traditional bear" so I first worked out the size of the body and then thought that the arms should be fairly long and thin. Then I drew the legs but had to make them a bit shorter than I originally drew them as he looked a bit strange and top heavy. Then on to the head gussett, which I felt should be fairly wide and evenly curved to go with the shape of the side head. I then did the inner arms and all the paw pads. Most of the heads I have designed before have a much higher forhead, but I think I like the shape given by the shallower shape so I will have to experiment.
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

Hello all,
I have just finished my bear!!!!    but it's too dark to take a decent photo now, so that will have to wait until tomorrow :photo: ( oh and I did do some housework today......well I loaded the dishwasher and switched the washing machine on, and we had fish and chips for tea,which was a bung it all in the oven job and take it out 25 mins later LOLOL).
The little bear in question has not told me his name yet . He measures about 4.25" tall and is a traditional style bear with longer thinner arms and fairly long legs(not my usual style at all) and I am very pleased with the way he has turned out( except that I nearly binned the head when I could not get the eye socket sculpting right at first and his eyes refused to go in where I wanted them , but I kept trying and he is fine now LOL)
Thanks Paula for this challenge, I always like to try something different 
Tiny Hugs,
Gail

ooh yes please Paula, I would like to have a go at this one too
Tiny hugs,
Gail

I just use the "extra strong thread" that I can buy from the haberdashers in town. It comes in several different colours and I find that easiest to use, though I do for some reason use dental floss to sew ears on!
Tiny Hugs
Gail

Ha Ha It's a good job I didn't just post my favourites and scrolled down and read them all first or you would have got two listings for the Spike Milligan " Rain" and "Wiggle Woggle" They are my favourite, of the ones we used to read,too Ruth but I had forgotten the one about Sister Laura. I also like:

Today I saw a little worm
wriggling on his belly
perhaps he'd like to come inside
and see whats on the telly.

and

There was a rash young lady pig,
(they say she was a smasher)
Who suddenly ran
Under a Van
and now she's a gammon rasher!

Spike Milligan was just soooooo silly, perhaps thats why Ruth and I have such weird and silly senses of humour!

Tiny Hugs
Gail